Hope's Story
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. -Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV, emphasis added)
As we begin Advent 2022, there are any number of stories that discourage us and can cause us to despair. I am not thinking primarily of the stories that make the news or dominate politics or make us question the humanity of some war mongering world leaders. All of those by the way may cause us to lose hope. I am not thinking of those stories that our “outside” of us. I am thinking about the inside stories. Stories of failure and disappointment and sickness and suffering that seem at times to dominate our lives. Sometimes they are stories far more despair producing than the outside kind. I think it is because, they are so intimate. We cannot walk away from them or ignore them. They demand a reckoning in our everyday living. And, they can steal our hope. One of the rewards of the Genesis 1-Revelation 22 approach to Advent this year is being reminded of a grander story, Redemption’s Story. It is in fact in zooming out on our story that we can find hope in the midst of all the discouraging stories, inside and outside, which otherwise would drive us to despair. Here’s why: there is a grander plot unfolding. Grander than a lousy Monday morning, or the addiction that haunts us, r the sin that we cannot seem to get past, or the pain that greets us as we open our eyes, or the wounds of broken relationships or the idols that compete for our affections and rob our time. And that there is a grander story makes my story and yours far more hopeful than discouraging. For God is at work in the grander story AND in your story. How mind blowing it ought to be to us to simply remember that fact: God is at work. The God of hope is at work in every individual story writing a far more amazing story than that which we’ve any chance at imagining. The God of redemption is at work in the midst of all my failures and brokenness. This does not erase Mondays or all the other dark stories. But, it gives us opportunity to see the common thread in all of them; God is at work. And if God is at work, then I can have hope. Hope for a world that seems to be full of chaos and brokenness. Hope for my life that has its own levels of chaos and brokenness. Hope for the outside stories. Hope for the inside stories. Hope not based on me or you or some shadowy power broker in a far-off place but hope that rests in confidence on a God whose story will unfold no matter what. So, when Satan tempts you to despair and when your soul grows weary, remember: God is at work. God is at work, and we can trust His story. You can trust His love. You can trust His ending to the story.
Blog bonuses:
I ran across this blog in a printed format the other day and it in part inspired today’s blog- enjoy!
Here is an amazing video about Redeemed Hope from the C&MA it is well worth the 4 minute watch!